‘Working Beks’ Review: Hodgepodge of ideas

Oggs Cruz

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‘Working Beks’ Review: Hodgepodge of ideas
''Working Beks,' even in its loudest and most uneven moments, echoes sentiments that deserve to be expressed and heard,' writes Oggs Cruz

Chris Martinez’s Working Beks takes its cue from Bernal’s Working Girls, Ishmael Bernal’s 1984 portrait of women thriving in the work place.

What makes Bernal’s film irresistibly interesting is how he and screenwriter Amado Lacuesta were able to weave together various tales, whether grounded in humor or more serious issues, within a setting that is comfortably recognizable. Its characters, all portrayed by actresses like Hilda Coronel, Gina Pareno, Carmi Martin, Chanda Romero and Rio Locsin, effortlessly flesh out both the levity and gravity of their characters. They are all carved from stereotypes but are nevertheless engaging examples of of women coping in a man’s world. 

Strung by a scandal 

Screengrab from YouTube/Viva Ent

Working Beks adopts a similar structure.

The five narrative threads that Martinez’s film follows are connected by a video of supposedly straight matinee idol Champ (Edgar Allan Guzman) being intimate with another guy. Champ, who has suddenly disappeared, leaving behind various commitments and media engagements, is now preparing to fix everything by spinning the scandal to favor his current love team. Tommy (TJ Trinidad), the marketing director or a beverage company with Champ as an endorser, is in the running for a deserved promotion. 

 

 

Gorgeous (John Lapus), who operates a small canteen outside Tommy’s office, is the underappreciated sole breadwinner of her family. On the day of his wedding, Mandy (Joey Paras) watches Champ’s scandal, awakening sexual urges which he has repressed for quite a while. Elsewhere, Jet (Prince Stefan) is worried he might have contracted HIV. 

Prolonged skits

Screengrab from YouTube/Viva Ent

As with most multi-narrative features, Martinez’s film flounders with some stories that are considerably weaker, which eclipses or steals the limelight from the film’s ambition to mount something more profound. 

Screengrab from YouTube/Viva Ent

Mandy’s storyline, which enunciates the gross absurdity of stopping what is clearly inherent, is played out to be silly. Gorgeous’ attempts in establishing pathos is watered down by an overly simplified portrayal of a familiar plight. Jet’s thread staggers towards a predictable outcome a little bit too long. In essence, Working Beks lacks novelty to graduate its separate portions from being prolonged sketches of troubled gays finding resolutions to their diverse conflicts. 

Screengrab from YouTube/Viva Ent

The biggest problem of Working Beks however is its indisputable insistence on making everything hilarious, which in this case, betrays the film’s efforts in directing all the storylines into a more poignant area. Jokes are fired left and right. Some work. Some don’t. By the time Martinez concludes everything, tying all the loose ends in an attempt to flavor the romp with more serious emotions, it’s too late. It’s a carnival wanting to be a ball.

In the end, the film feels more like a hodgepodge of ideas that barely cohere. 

Merit to the madness 

Screengrab from YouTube/Viva Ent

But there is real merit to the madness.

Working Beks, even in its loudest and most uneven moments, echoes sentiments that deserve to be expressed and heard. Martinez knows that the best way to say what needs to be said is to package them in a product that is accessible, even if it reinforces stereotypes of gays that mainstream media has exploited for profit. – Rappler.com

Francis Joseph Cruz litigates for a living and writes about cinema for fun. The first Filipino movie he saw in the theaters was Carlo J. Caparas’ ‘Tirad Pass.’ Since then, he’s been on a mission to find better memories with Philippine cinema.

 

 

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